Full Description
American and British English in the twenty-first century are still divided by a common language. Now in its second edition, this highly readable guide provides an authoritative reference to English usage, covering the differences, and some emerging similarities, between British, American and international English. It has been thoroughly updated and expanded to document hundreds of variable points of usage for the benefit of British and American readers, and for those seeking international forms of English for written communication, as first- or second-language users. It discusses the current status of each usage item with quantitative evidence from the NOW (News on the Web) corpus and contemporary research. Lively examples of usage are provided to capture aspects of twenty-first century culture world-wide. It also discusses issues in the use of personal names and ethnic naming practices, as well as sexist and homophobic words, and person-centred words for those living with a disability.
Contents
Preface to the second edition; Preface to the first edition; Overview of contents and how to access them; A to Z entries; Appendix I. International Phonetic Alphabet symbols for English sounds; Appendix II. Geological eras; Appendix III. Perpetual calendar 1901-2099; Appendix IV. International System of Units (SI Units); Appendix V. Interconversion tables for metric and imperial measures; Appendix VI. Proofreading marks: British and American; Appendix VII. Formats and styles for letters, memos and e-mail; Appendix VIII. Components of personal names in different countries; Appendix IX. Currencies of the world; Appendix X. Member states of the United Nations; Bibliography.
